An Ohio borrower pushed from SAVE into the Repayment Assistance Plan pays an extra $1,982 a year, on average, in the Center for American Progress's estimate. That plan was born in the House bill Mike Carey's yea passed by one vote on May 22, 2025. Carey voted aye on July 3, 2025, when the final law passed.
The enacted law closed Grad PLUS to newcomers. It also put a ceiling on Parent PLUS. Before any of that, Carey's two 2025 budget yeas, each the margin, handed the education committee a deficit-reduction quota of $330 billion or more.
Mike Carey's Votes on Student Loans
- Carey's Aye Shut Grad PLUS, Capped Parent PLUS and Raised Payments for Low Earners. Roll call 190, July 3, 2025: final passage, 218 to 214. Mike Carey voted aye. Graduate PLUS is closed to new grad students. A parent paying for a child's degree can borrow at most $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. Fresh loans repay through the Repayment Assistance Plan, not the old income-driven options. TICAS: the plan "will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level,". New America: "those with the lowest incomes will face higher monthly bills" than under prior rules.
- Carey's Yea Was the Single Vote That Passed the Bill Creating RAP, in May 2025. Roll call 145, May 22, 2025: H.R. 1 cleared the House 215 to 214, one member present. Carey voted yea. One switch would have killed it. In that House text sits "the income-based Repayment Assistance Plan", which survived into law. Across the country, CAP calculated, the SAVE-to-RAP switch adds $2,163 to a typical year's payments. New graduate caps leave a funding hole for 13 percent of would-be master's students; for professional degrees, 46 percent. Plenty will land in "more expensive private loans."
- Carey's Budget Yeas Set a $330 Billion Target for the Committee Over Student Aid, in 2025. Roll call 50, February 25, 2025: H.Con.Res. 14 adopted, 217 to 215, Carey yea. Roll call 100, April 10, 2025: final text adopted, 216 to 214, Carey yea. A Carey switch ties either count, and ties fail. Education and Workforce had to "reduce the deficit by not less than $330,000,000,000" over a decade. In the enacted law, student aid took the hit. The Center for American Progress tallies that the law "takes away about $300 billion in federal support" that made college cheaper for low- and middle-income students.
What Mike Carey's Student Loan Votes Mean for Ohio Borrowers
- Ohioans pushed off SAVE owe an average of $1,982 more each year. The SAVE-to-RAP jump in Ohio averages $1,982 a year by CAP's math. That money comes out of rent, car notes and child care. Nationwide, some 7 million borrowers still sat in SAVE as of June 2026.
- Ohio parents borrowing after July 1, 2026 lose income-contingent repayment. New Parent PLUS debt taken out from July 1, 2026 is shut out of income-contingent repayment, the Center for American Progress found. Annual Parent PLUS borrowing tops out at $20,000 per student. Families who cannot cover the gap are pushed toward private loans.
- Ohio grad students lose Grad PLUS and hit new federal ceilings. New America reports most grad students are now limited to $20,500 a year in federal loans, $100,000 lifetime. Ohio students in pricey programs must fill the rest some other way. The Center for American Progress expects many to be pushed into costlier private debt.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Carey on Student debt
What is Mike Carey's record on student debt under Trump?
Mike Carey's yeas were the margin on the 2025 budget plan, which told the education committee to come up with $330 billion in deficit reduction, and on the House bill that created RAP. His aye on the final law closed Grad PLUS to newcomers and put a ceiling on Parent PLUS. Ohio's average SAVE-to-RAP increase is $1,982 a year.
Is Grad PLUS gone because of Mike Carey's vote?
Yes. Graduate PLUS closed to new borrowers under the law Mike Carey voted aye on, July 3, 2025. Federal grad loans now top out at $20,500 a year and $100,000 overall for most students. The Center for American Progress found those ceilings leave many short of tuition.
Will Ohio student loan borrowers pay more because of Mike Carey's vote?
Yes. Mike Carey's May 2025 yea was the margin for the bill that created RAP, and borrowers moved there from SAVE pay more. For Ohio, CAP's average is $1,982 a year. Nationally it is $2,163.
Last updated: 2026-10-27